In this astonishing and startling book, award-winning science and history writer Robert Whitaker investigates a medical mystery: Why has the number of disabled mentally ill in the United States tripled over the past two decades? Every day, 1,100 adults and children are added to the government disability rolls because they have become newly disabled by mental illness, with this epidemic spreading most rapidly among our nations children. What is going on?

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In this astonishing and startling book, award-winning science and history writer Robert Whitaker investigates a medical mystery: Why has the number of disabled mentally ill in the United States tripled over the past two decades? Every day, 1,100 adults and children are added to the government disability rolls because they have become newly disabled by mental illness, with this epidemic spreading most rapidly among our nations children. What is going on?

Anatomy of an Epidemic challenges listeners to think through that question themselves. First, Whitaker investigates what is known today about the biological causes of mental disorders. Do psychiatric medications fix chemical imbalances in the brain, or do they, in fact, create them? Researchers spent decades studying that question, and by the late 1980s, they had their answer. Listeners will be startled - and dismayed - to discover what was reported in the scientific journals.

Then comes the scientific query at the heart of this book: During the past 50 years, when investigators looked at how psychiatric drugs affected long-term outcomes, what did they find? Did they discover that the drugs help people stay well? Function better? Enjoy good physical health? Or did they find that these medications, for some paradoxical reason, increase the likelihood that people will become chronically ill, less able to function well, more prone to physical illness?

This is the first book to look at the merits of psychiatric medications through the prism of long-term results. By the end of this review of the outcomes literature, listeners are certain to have a haunting question of their own: Why have the results from these long-term studies - all of which point to the same startling conclusion - been kept from the public?

"Whitaker tenderly interviews children and adults who bear witness to the ravages of mental illness, and testify to their newly found 'aliveness' when freed from the prison of mind-numbing drugs." (Daniel Dorman, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine)

This is an outstanding work of science journalism and it is likely to surprise the vast majority of its readers. Plus, Ken Kliban is a great narrator. As a both a scientist and a mental health clinician, I support the methods and the conclusions of this book strongly. The irony, though, is that I'm probably not alone. Many, if not most, scientists at the top of NIMH and major universities wouldn't disagree with two of the most important ideas; first, that the "chemical imbalance" hypothesis is basically nonsense, and second, that the outcomes literature for psych drugs are poor. I saw a talk given by Thomas Insel, Director of NIMH, in April (2010, that is) and he said two things that are consistent with Whitaker's conclusions. First a direct quote: "Current treatments help too few people get better and very few get well." Second, he advocated for research focused on the "connectome," that is, a developing understanding of how a typically functioning brain's circuits are interconnected and how disruptions in those connections "cause" mental illness. I think understanding the connectome is important but unlikely to reveal anything about "mental illness" for various empirical reasons I won't go into here.

Of course, what most clinical psychiatrists won't agree with is that the drugs are part of the problem. But I suspect the current generation of psych drugs are going to go the way of tobacco (which used to be promoted for its health benefits). Eventually there's just going to be too much evidence against them. Hopefully Whitaker's work will help accelerate that.

I'm going to recommend this book to everyone I possibly can. I'm also going to teach it to psychiatry residents. Well, to be honest, I'll probably teach the primary sources rather than the book itself because, if Whitaker is right, teaching the book could be bad for my career...

I tend to agree that anti-depressants and anti-psychotics are overly prescribes, particularly since the effects are not well understood. I also agree that drugs are used when cognitive behavioral techniques would be successful (but not make much money for drug companies). I further agree that drug companies have not uncommonly created unfair pro-drug testing regimes. BUT the author makes conclusions that don???t seem to be supported by any data and weaves a deeper conspiracy than the evidence seems to support. Repeating the same evidence is not more evidence. Also the author makes the key mistake seen in such books; Assume the hypothesis then search for data that supports the hypothesis. This is just not how real science is done. So if you read this, take it with a big grain of salt.

Unfortunately, the truth is much more complex than either the mental health medication industry or Robert Whitaker want us to believe. While the causes and treatments of the astonishing growing rates of mental health problems is a very important topic to examine, Whitaker commits the same errors as the pharmaceutical industry, just in the opposite direction, by intentionally omitting any data or study that contradicts his conclusions. In addition, with the exception of a one sentence dismissal, he completely ignores vast areas of multiple contributing factors that have had devasting effects on mental health in our modern society.
This book does help to raise some important questions, but it is unfortunate that it is done in such an obviously biased manner as it causes one to question the conclusions it reaches. The causes of mental health problems are much more complex than Whitaker is willing to admit. Therefore, the evaluation and treatment of mental helath problems deserves a more honest and multifaceted approach than Whitaker is able to acknowledge with this biased oversimplification of this important topic.

This audio book is loaded with facts, data and information about the current epidemic of mental illness. 3.5 million children on Ritalin; 250 people a day going on Social Security Disability for various mental health issues. The solution has been to use truckloads of pharmaceuticals to control behavior or provide relief. The author presents a very convincing case that our systematic overdosing on these drugs is exacerbating a problem, indeed turning young children who act out in school into drugged young adults who, in some cases, have a life long dependency problem.

Until 1960 most of the modern psychological diseases that are prevalent in the US did not exist. Once big pharma ( the people who fill the evening news with chemical solutions for what ever ails you) cranked up its marketing machine it became essential for many of us to find the "right" pill.

This is an important book for anyone who has children or friend/relatives who may be taking or considering modern psychotropic drugs. This book makes a compelling case that the cure may be worse than the disease.

Excellent study and case for the problems with the drugs used to treat mental illness. However, the book is too long. After listening to a few cases for the first couple hours, it was good. Repitition of more cases with similar statistics and results in the next few hours started getting boring. I held on for 10 hours hoping that something new would arise in the book, but it was the same thing over and over, I finally quit the book.

I managed to make it through the entire book, but it's not easy to stay alert listening to the driest narration possible. I think I'm going to stick with fluffier nonfiction books for now on. Plus, I now know to truly listen to the audiobook sample and ask myself, "Could I listen to this narrator for 14 hours?" In the case of this book, I did, but it took the perseverance of a saint. I'd recommend you read this book and listen to something else.

In fact I found it downright scary - not as scary as having a child suffering with schizophrenia but scary none the less. I fear for those who believe the conclusions in this book, and wonder how many families will be devastated if those they love are do not have the benefits of current treatments. As with any subject "evidence" can be found where the truth can be lost if some facts are distorted and repeated often enough as they are here. JFK and 9-11 are prime examples, as is this book. I hope saner minds prevail and people recognize this book for what it is - another conspiracy theory.

Amazing book and I think essential for every person to read. We all know someone who has taken medication of been instructed to take medication for depression, anxiety, bipolar, and ADHD. Reading this books makes you much more informed to make the decision about medications. At the very least, every parent should read this book before they allow their child to take any kind of medication.

“Anatomy of an Epidemic” will appeal to mental health professionals, psychiatrist, medical doctors, and individuals impacted by psychotropic medications. The book posits one simple question: “why have the rates of mental illness skyrocketed in the last 20 years despite the reported advancements in psychotropic medications?” The author, Robert Whitaker, attempts to answer this question armed with data, peer-reviewed research, and a no holds barred investigatory diligence. Overall, Mr. Whitaker suggests that the American public has been sold a bill of goods by pharmaceutical companies relative to the true effects of psychotropic medication on human behavior. He provides a history of psychotropic drug development, picks apart the research funded by pharmaceutical corporations, and examines the social factors that incentivize a diagnosis of mental illness.Mr. Whitaker does not supply any useful answers to the complex problems encountered by those affected by mental illness. Instead, he challenges the conventional wisdom and public beliefs around the effectiveness of medications such as Prozac, Paxil, Respirable, and Zyprexa. If Mr. Whitaker has one message for readers the message would warn individuals suffering from mental illness to be very cautious before following the advice of a mental health professional to start taking psychotropic medications. There is clear evidence these medications can potentially exasperate a mental health condition and become lifelong endeavors.Mr. Whitaker is an excellent writer. “Anatomy of an Epidemic” is very readable although it deals with very technical peer-reviewed information. He has a clear and efficient writing style that communicates very well to readers with a basic familiarity related to psychotropic medication and mental health diagnosis.

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